NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Western Rock Elephant Shrew
Elephantulus rupestris (A. Smith, 1831)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Drawing of Elephantulus rupestris published by Andrew Smith (under the species name Macroscelides rupestris): Illustrations of the Zoology of South Africa. Mammalia. London, 1839 (plate 11)
Mr. Hanks · Public domain · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
The western rock sengi or western rock elephant shrew (Elephantulus rupestris) is a species of small mammal in the sengi family (Macroscelididae). It is found in Namibia, South Africa, and possibly Angola and Botswana. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrubland and rocky areas.
Smaller members of western rock sengi possess functional brown adipose tissue, which changes in thermogenic capacity depending on the season.
Wikipedia contributors, Western rock sengi; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T12:44:03.999033+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Elephantulus rupestris (A. Smith, 1831)
- Name authority
- (A. Smith, 1831)
- Common name
- Western Rock Elephant Shrew
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Macroscelidea
- Family
- Macroscelididae
- Genus
- Elephantulus
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classMammalia Linnaeus, 1758
- subclassTheria Parker & Haswell, 1897
- infraclassEutheria Gill, 1872
- orderMacroscelidea Butler, 1956
- familyMacroscelididae Bonaparte, 1838
- subfamilyMacroscelidinae
- genusElephantulus Thomas & Schwann, 1906
- speciesElephantulus rupestris (A. Smith, 1831)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Elephantulus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Short-snouted Elephant ShrewElephantulus brachyrhynchus (A. Smith, 1836) | MacroscelididaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Dusky-footed Elephant ShrewElephantulus fuscipes (Thomas, 1894) | MacroscelididaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Bushveld Elephant ShrewElephantulus intufi (A. Smith, 1836) | MacroscelididaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Eastern Rock Elephant ShrewElephantulus myurus Thomas & Schwann, 1906 | MacroscelididaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Karoo Rock SengiElephantulus pilicaudus Smit, 2008 | MacroscelididaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Dusky Elephant ShrewElephantulus fuscus (Peters, 1852) | MacroscelididaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Macroscelides rupestris A. Smith, 1831 A. Smith, 1831 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=584921 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:398D4. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.